by Marcus Baumgart
Houses (Australia)
no. 83, 2011
pp. 62-68
The recently-completed George Apartments in North Melbourne were featured in issue 83 of Houses magazine.
The apartments are located opposite the Royal Children's Hospital on a grand avenue marked out by plane trees. The area is well-serviced by trams and is directly linked to the CBD, making it the ideal location for a TOD (Transit Oriented Development).
The plane trees feature in the design of the building with perforated metal balconies and the cladding of the lower level of the building featuring leaf motifs. The other idea drawn from the trees is the transition from dark to light – from the dark corridors to the sparkling, light-filled apartments.
The article notes that, "despite the extensive glazing, the design has achieved a six-star energy rating and incorporates a number of sustainability measures, such as the harvesting of rainwater and solar-heated hot water."
The article concludes that, "Both the designer and the developer are to be congratulated on their commitment to good planning in the layout of the dwellings, and other developers should take note: there are no "borrowed light" bedrooms in the building. This is refreshing in a market too often characterised by yield-maximizing practices whose first victim is the future residents' amenity. Too often we see the lowest common denominator setting the standard, but this is not the case here."
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